for Game Designers Stone Librande Creative Director EAMaxis Lead Designer SimCity Please turn on Notes View for the speaking points about each slide A video of this talk is available at ID: 584563
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Designing GamesforGame Designers
Stone LibrandeCreative Director, EA/MaxisLead Designer, SimCity
Please turn on “Notes View” for the speaking points about each slide.
A video of this talk is available at:
http://gdcvault.com
. Slide2Slide3Slide4
Class Background and PhilosophyFundamentals of Game DesignWorkshop GamesFinal Thoughts
OverviewSlide5
Cogswell Polytechnical College (Sunnyvale, CA.)Game Design Workshop (GDC)
Game Connection (Paris)EA Intern Mentoring (Maxis Studio)
Workshop LocationsSlide6
Paper, cards, dice (no computers)2 to 3 hour workshopsFocus on one specific topicNo grades, but there are “winners”
Workshop StructureSlide7
Exercise Goals:
A chance for the class to get acquainted
Focus on physical rather than cerebral
Set the tone for the semester
First Day GameSlide8Slide9Slide10Slide11Slide12
What is a Game?
Lost in the Shuffle (The Duelist magazine)
Richard Garfield (1994-99)
The Art of Computer Game Design
Chris Crawford (1984)
I Have No Words & I Must Design
Greg
Costikyan
(1994)Slide13
Fundamentals of Game DesignSlide14
Fundamentals of Game DesignSlide15
Fundamentals of Game DesignSlide16
Fundamentals of Game DesignSlide17
Fundamentals of Game DesignSlide18
Player’s relationship to the goal is clear
Drama increases as the goal nears
GoalsSlide19Slide20Slide21Slide22Slide23Slide24Slide25
Exercise Goals:
Experiment with different types of goals
Only the goal can change, not the rules
How does changing the goal change the game?
Goal CardsSlide26Slide27
Public points vs. secret points
Timed goals
Negative goalSlide28
Multiple Goals:
Simultaneous
Randomly Changing
Secret GoalsSlide29
Custom GoalsSlide30
Win a chip
Win a Goal Card
Get the most
Goal Cards
Get your card promotedSlide31
Opposition
Flow
Sense of accomplishment
Slide32
Exercise Goals:
Incremental difficulty tuning
Hard and Soft obstacles
Giving the player an edge
Opposition and Opponents
Obstacle PongSlide33
Obstacle PongSlide34
Obstacle PongSlide35
Obstacle PongSlide36
Obstacle PongSlide37Slide38
Exercise Goals
:Asymmetric game balance
Tuning for dramaSlide39Slide40
Each tank gets 3 actions per turn:
ShootMoveRotateSlide41Slide42
Decisions
Interesting decisions
Creativity and discovery
Slide43
Balancing decisionsEncouraging expression and role-playing
Combining characters to create new stories
Exercise Goals:Slide44Slide45
Kneel
Pray
Smite
Bless
Step
Wobble
Belch
Throw Bottle
Hide in Trash
StaggerSlide46Slide47Slide48Slide49
Rules
Easy to learn
A lifetime to masterSlide50
Exercise Goals:
Rule structure and organization
Precision
Simplification
Add a RuleSlide51Slide52Slide53Slide54
Exercise Goals:
Creating modular rules
Balancing rule effects
Discussing and clarifying
Using flavor to help immersion and memorySlide55Slide56
Flavor: Swords, Military, Weapons
Effect: Attack powerArrow’s Flight
If your spade loses then immediately drop it on the floor from at least
1 meter.
If it lands face up then it wins!Slide57
Buried Treasure
Flavor: Wealth, Riches
Effect
:
Points
Cut your deck.
If you reveal a diamond put it on top of your deck and gain 1 point.Slide58
Card Garden
Flavor:
Staff, Nature
Effect
:
Cards
Take the top card of your deck and put it in your hand. If you wish you may play cards from your hand instead of from the top of your deck.Slide59
Consolation Present
If you lost this battle you may place your card on top of your
opponent’s
deck.
Flavor:
Love, Emotion, Healing
Effect:
GivingSlide60Slide61
Interaction
Ease of input
Rewards
Immersive atmosphereSlide62
Exercise Goals
:Show the students the power of rewards
Roll as fast as possible
Do this for over 30 minutes!
Roll Dice Fast!Slide63
Roll Dice Fast!Slide64
Exercise Goals
:Explore how atmosphere affects a game
Using colors, fonts, and images to set a mood
Combine two games together to make a new game
v
Mash UpSlide65Slide66Slide67Slide68Slide69
Exercise Goals:
Learn how to calculate odds (with no math!)
Start simple and slowly progress in difficulty
Simulate thousands of play sessionsSlide70Slide71Slide72Slide73Slide74Slide75Slide76Slide77Slide78Slide79Slide80Slide81
Putting it Together
InteractionSlide82
Obvious goal, interesting decisions, simple rules Use reward and atmosphere to “entice” players
Make a profit
Casino
Exercise Goals
:
InteractionSlide83Slide84Slide85
Listening to me talk about games is not a substitute for playing themIterate them, change them, make them suit your needs
Designers, become teachers
Final ThoughtsSlide86
Thank you!
Detailed rules and materials for many of these games can be found at:
www.stonetronix.com